Category: Family

It has been a while but blogging has taken the back burner as I have been settling in as a new mom. Motherhood is a full-time job… oh and then there is that breastfeeding thing ’round the clock… hehe. I am back though! Today is a quick post, just to say hello and to introduce our Lucas Todd.

It has been 3 months since our precious Lucas entered our lives. He was born 8/13/17 at 5:26 am, weighing 6 pounds, 15 ounces and 18 inches long. These 3 months have been a whirlwind. Becoming a mom is the biggest blessing I have ever received. Lucas is beautiful, funny, and sweet. We are savoring every moment because time is already flying… even those sleepless hours.

Moments with Marylee is going to be making a few changes here and there over the next few months. Please stay tuned and keep reading. I would greatly appreciate you signing up for email reminders as well as following me on Facebook, Insta, Pinterest, Twitter… all of that good stuff!

I hope you all have been doing well! I know I have been absent and I apologize! Between baby showers, work, being pregnant, nesting, etc… I have been busy! I am planning on picking my blog up after I get settled into being a mom. My guess date is about 5 weeks away, so please keep me in your prayers! As a little “good-bye” before I return, I thought I would reveal our nursery! This is officially our favorite room in our home. 😉

Before you look ahead, thank you to everyone who has blessed us with items for Lucas. My parents and in-laws have made this nursery possible! Nathan and I love you all and so happy Lucas has you all as grandparents. Thank you!!!

Okay for the reveal…

Ta-da!!

We found the Lucas decal on Amazon. We LOVE the mobile my parents surprised us with from Etsy.

JUST ADORABLE!! All the way from Australia!!

My mom made the UK quilt for Lucas and it could not look better in our nursery! It was such a sweet surprise and I will cherish wrapping up Lucas as long as he’ll allow me. 🙂

This sweet quilt was made by Nathan’s sweet relative. It has a special place in our heart. It will also be a joy to wrap him up in this one. 🙂

Love all these good finds!

Our dresser, changing table, that awesome mirror, and even the Zany Zoo are all second-hand finds!

Secret storage that can’t be seen when you open the door to the room!More storage!

A fun, mini set of corn hole for Lucas to learn (attached by velcro)The best chair ever (from our generous in-laws) in our cozy reading cornerLucas has a comfy chair too for when he gets bigger 🙂A sweet, personalized coin bank from my aunt and uncle. 🙂

I hope you all love the reveal! We are beyond thrilled with it and so looking forward to bringing home Lucas. Comment and let me know what you think or if you have any questions!

Happy Monday!

Where have I been?? It’s been a busy past few months and I’m sad to say I haven’t had time to keep up with the blog. I finally have a schedule where I have the time. I’ve gone through two job changes and I am very happy now. I have more time to blog and share what is going on in our life.

Now for the big news… it’s not a job change. 😉

We are expecting a baby in August!

Nathan and I couldn’t be more thrilled… and nervous of course. Nathan has been so supportive and understanding of my nerves. Pregnancy after a miscarriage brings on many fears. I’m constantly questioning anything I eat or drink, I was frightened to go to the bathroom for several weeks, not wanting to lift a thing over 10 pounds, etc.

I’ve been doing a Bible study that has given me comfort and taken away these fears. I have learned that worry and pain aren’t natural to pregnancy. Jesus wants us to enjoy pregnancy and not believe the lies from the devil.

If you have worries from pregnancy or anything else, look into God’s word and find the comfort you need. It is good to research and learn about what is going on in your body but balance those worldly words with the Word of God.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

“The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. The Lord is near to all who call on him. To all who call on him in truth.” Psalm 145:17-18

Here’s a little progress from my belly:

I love these pictures because I so wanted a little change each week but I think I’m finally seeing a little bit. =)

I’m glad I could share the news! Be on the look out for some posts in the near future! Have a wonderful week!

This summer has flown by and time has slipped past me. We have been busy, busy, bees. My dad retired, we went on vacation, we put our house up for sale and then took it back off the market (you live and learn, haha), and I’m getting ready to start a new job! =) We are beyond blessed and have enjoyed the summer but my favorite time of year is coming up, FALL! My blog has been on the back burner but I’m bringing it back to the front. Please stay tuned for more posts! Here are some pictures of our summer. You will see that Nathan and I were the DJ’s at my dad’s retirement party. Hire us for your next celebration! Check out our website, Mister and Mrs. DJ

Hello all!

I hope you all have had a great start to June! It has been a busy time for my family the past couple weeks, but all great things for sure! Nathan and I have started our own DJ business called Mister and Mrs. DJ. Find us on FB, Twitter, and Insta (all @misterandmrsdj). It is going to be a thrilling side business to do with my wonderful hubby. =)

I am sorry to say that I am going to make you all wait ONE more day to see the After of my mom’s closets. Before I post tomorrow, review the Before.

As for today I want to share 28 BRILLIANT Travel Hacks. A lot of people will probably be traveling this summer and these will sure help you as you prepare for your trip.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these hacks. Who else is thankful for awesome hacks that people post online? They have solved so many problems!

I want to end today with a Bible verse. A special friend over at Beneath My Heart wrote a sweet post about her adoption that will be taking place very soon! They are selling precious t-shirts to help go towards their adoption. It reminded me of the HOPE I have for having a baby some day.

Romans 15:13 – “I pray that the God who gives HOPE will fill you with much joy and peace while you trust in him. Then your HOPE will overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

May 27th marked a year for my miscarriage. I had mixed emotions on posting that day. It technically lasted for several days, so I don’t associate it with that one day. This past year has been full of changes and growth. Having HOPE can help you through a difficult time. Don’t hesitate in emailing me if you want to talk! It helps to share your story and talk to someone that has been in similar shoes.

Thank you for reading! Remember to sign up for email updates and follow me on social media!

Happy Mother’s Day!

As Mother’s Day approaches this year it has brought up emotions from my miscarriage 11 months ago. This time last year I was pregnant but didn’t yet know. Once I did find out I was pregnant, I had hopes of being a full-time mommy and being able to enjoy holidays in a new way. I am a huge planner and when life takes a turn that I wasn’t expecting, it tends to hit me hard.

I trust that God has a plan for my life and that when the time is right, I will get to be a full-time mommy and enjoy those sweet holidays. Jeremiah 29:11 is constantly in my heart because it gives me comfort when things don’t go as I have planned. Of course I have a ton of weak moments that involve impatience and worry. Thankfully my husband is always there to remind me to give it to God and relax. TRUST in his plan.

In the midst of sorrow, it is hard to be positive but I try my best. Try things like surrounding yourself around positive people, eat organic and low-sugar foods, take warm epsom salt baths, pray, read, exercise, and get plenty of rest. I truly believe these things can help your overall well-being. Most of all though, put your faith in Jesus Christ and remember he loves you and has a plan for you.

For now, I want to say happy Mother’s day to my sweet mom, Linda and my caring mother-in-law, Donna. I love you both. I wouldn’t be the woman I am today without my mom. I was often called “Little Linda” as a kid from my sisters and that will always be a compliment to me. She is a gift from God. Nathan wouldn’t be the man he was without his mom. She is thoughtful and giving. He’s a spitting image of her too! (These lovely photos are taken by the talented Scott Walz of http://studiowalz.com )

My beautiful mom and IMom and her girlsNathan and his momma

If you are childless and have experienced a miscarriage, infertility, etc, know that you are not alone and it is normal to feel pain during times like these. Feel free to email momentswithmarylee@gmail.com and share your feelings with me!

I will leave you with this sweet picture of a handkershief my mom had made for me on my wedding day. It’s a lovely phrase from one of my favorite childhood books. She always reminds me of her love and it brings me so much comfort.

Happy Monday! I love Monday’s, only during The Bachelor season, he he 😉 . But that is not what I’ll be discussing in my post. Today I am sharing how we (Nathan and I) are living like no one else.

Last week we decided to take the plunge and begin Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. My sisters and their husbands are huge supporters of Dave Ramsey. They have inspired us to begin this journey. Laura and John even gave us this fantastic product (it matches our living room, he he):

We haven’t begun the class (due to my husband coming down with the flu eeekk) but we have already begun using cash only, tearing up credit cards, making sacrifices, and budgeting. Dave Ramsey says “If you will live like no one else, later you can live and (give) like no one else.” That hit us hard. We have been very selfish with our spending lately.

How We Are Living Like No One Else (already):

As I was doing my weekly grocery shopping (with cash in hand), I added up my cart and noticed I was $15 over budget. I pushed that heavy cart around the store putting back items we didn’t have the cash for. It felt great when I checked out and had the correct amount of money for my order. And you know what? I can go a week with out those expensive yummy pickles (LOL).

This weekend we went to one of my favorite stores, Kohl’s. That is a super dangerous store for me. I love the coupons, the Kohl’s cash, the rewards points, the gold clearance items, etc. I know that store like the back of my hand. Anyways, I had it all planned out to buy a couple of birthday gifts and use all these different coupons and Kohl’s cash. Little did I know, Nike wasn’t included, one coupon was expired, my Kohl’s cash was not in date, etc. After dragging my husband around the store for an hour, my huge bargain plan was a huge bust. What did I do? I left with all of my items at the cashier counter. There was a huge line behind me and it was very stressful. I walked out of that store in tears. What did my sweet husband do? He put his arm around me and assured me that I did the right thing. “Dave Ramsey would have been proud”. I felt so silly crying. I guess it was many emotions taking over. I am excited about this journey and I can’t allow marketing traps to spoil what we are trying to succeed at.

We are sticking to our spending budget. We aren’t putting dinners on credit cards and enjoying ourselves with money we don’t have. I actually cooked dinner Monday-Friday, which I haven’t done in forever.

I sold my Keurig and am already saving money not buying K cups. We are cutting back on a lot of “convenience” type groceries. I’ve been making trail mix by purchasing nuts and dried fruit in bulk.

We are trying to sell unwanted workout items/clothes/house-ware.

Add money to your Health Savings Account. Our HSA helped us out a lot this weekend. Flu medicine was definitely not in our budget this month, but thankfully we had it covered with our HSA. We haven’t even had time to build our emergency fund yet. So having a HSA has already been a blessing.

Please keep us in your prayers as we begin this journey and strive to have financial peace. Also, please pray for Nathan as he recovers from the flu and for me not to catch it. Thank you for reading and don’t forget to sign up for email updates so you don’t miss any future posts!

Today I am sharing 7 Tips for Your Marriage After A Miscarriage. This post came to me after my husband and I visited a marriage event this past weekend. It was called Love Worth Fighting For, featuring Kirk Cameron and Warren Barfield. It truly encouraged our marriage. We have had a year of giant ups and downs but have remained strong together. We completely owe that to our father, Jesus Christ. Through a miscarriage, new job, stress over money, surgeries, etc., I feel our marriage growing stronger.

We decided to make this event our Valentine’s presents to each other. We also purchased these awesome t-shirts (with matching wristbands ;)). We’ve decided to wear them a lot this February. You can find them here: The Love Shirts

Nathan is the love of my life and I am so blessed to be able to call him my husband! Our miscarriage was a huge learning experience for us. Nathan had never seen me in that much agony and I know I scared him at times but I am so thankful he stayed by my side the whole time.

I am going to share some tips that I believe will keep your relationship strong if you are going through a miscarriage or any type of loss. The type of pain you experience through something like a miscarriage can be hard on a marriage. The most important thing I learned from Love Worth Fighting For is to fight for your marriage! Don’t ever give up on each other.

7 Tips for Your Marriage After a Miscarriage:

Give each other time to grieve. Some people take longer to grieve than others. Don’t rush each other and don’t feel bad for not being at the same point. It’s okay to be at different stages in grief, as the female or male. Take as much time as you need. Accept help from others and be there for each other when sadness really takes over.

Go away together. After I was cleared by the doctor, Nathan and I took a small trip to Gatlinburg, TN (one of our favorite relaxing spots). The car ride was great for talking or just listening to music. We didn’t have to cook or clean. We had no worries. Make this trip memorable by doing something in memory of the one you lost. Either by some type of memorial item or doing something that you will never forget (ride in a helicopter, go on a trolley ride, bungee jump, etc.). Be with each other!

Grieve together and share your feelings when you are ready. Cry and question things together. Don’t force each other to talk when the other one isn’t ready. Some people take longer to share their feelings than others.

Remember milestone days, some have harder times during these days than others. When your due date comes around, Christmas, your birthdays, or any special time for you, it can be very hard coping with not having a baby in your hands. Some have a harder time at this than others. Understand your spouse and be there for them. Don’t push them, but instead be understanding

Be patient. Don’t lash out at each other. Some people have anger. I definitely had anger at times but Nathan was always there to remind me that God watches over us.

Seek outside help. Talk to a pastor, counselor, therapist, etc. They are there to help people talk through difficult times. If you don’t know what to talk about or how to bring things up, they will help you! I highly encourage this.

Pray together. Lastly, but most importantly, keep God at the center of your relationship during the good and bad times. Remember that God holds your future and he is going to take care of you.

Have you gone through a hard time with your spouse following a miscarriage or another difficult loss? Try these tips and I pray that God has his hand on your marriage and future. Fight for your marriage and don’t give up on each other!

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend. Today I want to show you a jewelry drawer transformation. My mom allowed me to use her jewelry drawer as an example on my blog. There are many ways to organize jewelry and if you wish to use a drawer, velvet organizers are a great option.

You can find these organizers at many places. T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and Home Goods, are my favorite places to find them. They can be affordable and in all kinds of shapes and colors. In the After picture, you will see that my Mom chose to stack these trays, which is a great way to have more storage in your drawer.

Choose what jewelry you will put in your drawer. My mom chose to put her bracelets and earrings in her drawer. Her necklaces are in an “over the door organizer” in her closet. These velvet trays can be difficult for chunky necklaces but great for small pendants.

We placed what she wears most on the top organizers.

Put the velvet trays in your drawer and you are all done. If you have a glass bowl or small jewelry box that is special to you, fit that in the drawer as well. Don’t fill the empty spaces too much. Unnecessary clutter can turn into the before.

While you are organizing a drawer, you may collect items that don’t belong in that drawer. Soon you will find these items stacking up but I suggest finding a home for them immediately and have that area be your next organization project. Don’t wait to work on that spot though, consider tidying it that same day or the next day. Set some reasonable goals for yourself.

Here is my mom’s drawer now:

After

Do you have a favorite way to organize jewelry? I have a beautiful jewelry armoire my parents gave me a few years ago for a graduation present. Not everyone has room for these though, so it becomes necessary to find great organization ideas.

Thank you for reading. If you have time, please sign up for email updates. You will receive a notification anytime a new post is up! I greatly appreciate it. 🙂

Happy Snow Day! Well, at least it is for a lot of Kentucky. It’s always nice when Nathan and I both have a day off! The majority of my family has a snow day as well, except for my daddy’o. He’s such a hard worker and essential for the school he works at. Say a prayer today to all those that have to be on the road. So many businesses don’t close that rely on their employees.

Here are some pictures of today’s winter storm (which is still going on):

Above our front door

My spike plant trying to hang in there

Nathan shoveling

It’s a beautiful, light snow, so sadly we can’t throw snowballs but it has been relaxing inside. It’s also been a great day for blog planning. With all this snow I wanted to share a great bargain that will keep your entry way nice a clean!

When there is a lot of snow, mud, or rain, does your entry way look like a mess? It’s almost impossible to keep it neat and clean when people are dragging in gear and dirty shoes. We decided to take a plunge and make snow angels, and well our shoes and clothes were soaked.

So here is our entry way with all this snow:

Mainstays Door Mat from Wal-Mart

I love this rug! We purchased it at Wal-Mart a few years ago and it is great for keeping your entryway clean. It is also big enough to keep shoes on and let dry out. Today we have gloves and hats drying out as well. It is also a great place our sweet pups can sit while we dry their paws off. We keep our coats and extra layers that are soaked hanging up behind the door. If there is any dripping, it makes it to the rug.

For only $10.56, you get a stylish rug that protects your entryway and keeps it neat. It cleans your shoes and traps water. It’s also made in the USA! Here is a link: Entryway Rug. I highly recommend it!

We are enjoying the snow but our pups, don’t enjoy getting out in it. But they sure look cute. =)

Violet our oldest poodle

Have a blessed weekend and stay safe if you find yourself in a winter storm!